Tufflaw

Oh yeah eggs are great - starting with the first day back from the hospital I have had eggs every single morning. I scramble two eggs, then mix in an ounce of shredded cheese and pour on a little taco sauce to taste (I do like adding taco sauce to everything). It's delicious, filling, and really cheap. I calculated it's about 50 cents a meal and that's my Breakfast every morning.

Another good low-cost high Protein option is fat-free refried Beans. A can at Target is 85 cents and you can get 4 or 5 servings out of it if you're only a few weeks post-op. I heat up about 3.5 oz in the microwave, then mix in about half ounce of shredded cheese and pour on a little taco sauce and it's delicious. I had that for dinner several days a week for the first couple of weeks post-op.

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again.
Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking Water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your Breakfast with a Protein Shake. That will help you reach your Protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch.
You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it.
The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating.
I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing.
I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, Pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day.
Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself.
Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically.
Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey.
To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place:
1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions
2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first)
3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME
4 - Get a good night's sleep
5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks
6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Good luck!

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again.
Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking Water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your Breakfast with a Protein Shake. That will help you reach your Protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch.
You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it.
The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating.
I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing.
I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, Pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day.
Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself.
Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically.
Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey.
To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place:
1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions
2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first)
3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME
4 - Get a good night's sleep
5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks
6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Good luck!

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again.
Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking Water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your Breakfast with a Protein Shake. That will help you reach your Protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch.
You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it.
The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating.
I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing.
I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, Pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day.
Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself.
Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically.
Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey.
To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place:
1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions
2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first)
3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME
4 - Get a good night's sleep
5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks
6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Good luck!

Thanks for all the comments. The endoscopy revealed that the sleeve was dilatated so I could either be resleeved or convert to bypass. After speaking with my doctor he recommended the bypass because of my GERD, and I took his advice. My surgery is scheduled for 11/17 and I'm excited to restart this journey!

Thanks for all the comments. The endoscopy revealed that the sleeve was dilatated so I could either be resleeved or convert to bypass. After speaking with my doctor he recommended the bypass because of my GERD, and I took his advice. My surgery is scheduled for 11/17 and I'm excited to restart this journey!

Thanks for all the comments. The endoscopy revealed that the sleeve was dilatated so I could either be resleeved or convert to bypass. After speaking with my doctor he recommended the bypass because of my GERD, and I took his advice. My surgery is scheduled for 11/17 and I'm excited to restart this journey!

I wasn't a revision, but I chose bypass from the start because I had GERD pre-op. I'm still happy with my decision and i'd make the same choice if I had to make it today. As you said, bypass usually (not always, but usually) greatly improves if not outright cures GERD. Sleeve has about 30% risk of making it worse. I didn't want to take the risk.

Last month I converted from vsg to rny. It was the best decision. One, my gerd is gone. I sleep better. We all know how important sleep is when it comes to appetite... Etc. Two, weight loss and restriction are better for me this time around. It was not apparent until I moved to solid foods. I can see why some doctors call it the gold standard. I have zero side effects. I feel the same except I can't eat more that 50g of soft/solid food, and I have to chew it like crazy.

I had avoided rny for so long. I was scared of changing things around in my body. That was a bad decision or of sheer fear. This time, I literally had no choice due to years of gerd. Good luck in your decision. My two cents.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my original sleeve done in 2016, went from 290 pre-surgery to 195, felt fantastic, no problems at all, they even invited me to have my picture taken for the doctor's advertising!
Then I had some personal and professional problems and managed to gain EVERYTHING back. I met with my doctor and he recommended revision, which I am scheduled for some time in November, currently getting my clearances. He said after my endoscopy we'd discuss whether to re-sleeve or convert to bypass. He said if my sleeve was still intact it would have to be a bypass, but if it was dilated I could choose. I had my endoscopy last week and the sleeve is indeed dilated so now I have to make a decision.
Another factor is I've had GERD for over 10 years and take esomeprazole daily which helps a lot but I've heard it's not great to take that forever either. I've also heard that bypass usually cures GERD, so that's another consideration.
I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who has either been re-sleeved or converted to bypass so I can have a better understanding of both options before I meet with my doctor again, Thanks!

I commend you for sharing your story. I am on the journey with you.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 21, 2016 and lost over a hundred pounds in about five months, then a few more, bringing me from 315 pre-surgery to 196 at my best. It was amazing, it was like magic. I posted here a lot and my whole story can be found in my profile.
Then I had a series of personal setbacks including but not limited to losing my job, having a child diagnosed with a medical issue, starting my own business and then losing my own business. Along the way I have ballooned up to, as of today, 296 pounds. I'm horrified and ashamed of myself. I worked so hard and was doing so well, and I completely blew it.
I've been feeling that way for a while, and finally decided to do something about it - I met with my original surgeon today and am officially on board for revision surgery. Under my old insurance I had to wait 6 months from my first consultation, under my new insurance it's only 3 months so he said it should be in early November. He doesn't know which type of revision they will need to do, he said they need to do an endoscopy to see if the original sleeve is still in good condition or if it's stretched out (I think he used the term "dilated"). If it's stretched they can re-sleeve. If it's not they would need to do the bypass. I've had GERD for over 10 years and I've heard the bypass cures it so I wouldn't mind.
I know what I need to do because I've done it before. I also know what I need to watch out for because I screwed up before. Part of the pre-surgical requirements is to speak with a psychologist, but I think I'll find one and start going regularly to help me work through a lot of the issues that caused me to be in this position again.
I didn't want to have to re-take this journey but I'm excited to be back on the path to recovery.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 21, 2016 and lost over a hundred pounds in about five months, then a few more, bringing me from 315 pre-surgery to 196 at my best. It was amazing, it was like magic. I posted here a lot and my whole story can be found in my profile.
Then I had a series of personal setbacks including but not limited to losing my job, having a child diagnosed with a medical issue, starting my own business and then losing my own business. Along the way I have ballooned up to, as of today, 296 pounds. I'm horrified and ashamed of myself. I worked so hard and was doing so well, and I completely blew it.
I've been feeling that way for a while, and finally decided to do something about it - I met with my original surgeon today and am officially on board for revision surgery. Under my old insurance I had to wait 6 months from my first consultation, under my new insurance it's only 3 months so he said it should be in early November. He doesn't know which type of revision they will need to do, he said they need to do an endoscopy to see if the original sleeve is still in good condition or if it's stretched out (I think he used the term "dilated"). If it's stretched they can re-sleeve. If it's not they would need to do the bypass. I've had GERD for over 10 years and I've heard the bypass cures it so I wouldn't mind.
I know what I need to do because I've done it before. I also know what I need to watch out for because I screwed up before. Part of the pre-surgical requirements is to speak with a psychologist, but I think I'll find one and start going regularly to help me work through a lot of the issues that caused me to be in this position again.
I didn't want to have to re-take this journey but I'm excited to be back on the path to recovery.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 21, 2016 and lost over a hundred pounds in about five months, then a few more, bringing me from 315 pre-surgery to 196 at my best. It was amazing, it was like magic. I posted here a lot and my whole story can be found in my profile.
Then I had a series of personal setbacks including but not limited to losing my job, having a child diagnosed with a medical issue, starting my own business and then losing my own business. Along the way I have ballooned up to, as of today, 296 pounds. I'm horrified and ashamed of myself. I worked so hard and was doing so well, and I completely blew it.
I've been feeling that way for a while, and finally decided to do something about it - I met with my original surgeon today and am officially on board for revision surgery. Under my old insurance I had to wait 6 months from my first consultation, under my new insurance it's only 3 months so he said it should be in early November. He doesn't know which type of revision they will need to do, he said they need to do an endoscopy to see if the original sleeve is still in good condition or if it's stretched out (I think he used the term "dilated"). If it's stretched they can re-sleeve. If it's not they would need to do the bypass. I've had GERD for over 10 years and I've heard the bypass cures it so I wouldn't mind.
I know what I need to do because I've done it before. I also know what I need to watch out for because I screwed up before. Part of the pre-surgical requirements is to speak with a psychologist, but I think I'll find one and start going regularly to help me work through a lot of the issues that caused me to be in this position again.
I didn't want to have to re-take this journey but I'm excited to be back on the path to recovery.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 21, 2016 and lost over a hundred pounds in about five months, then a few more, bringing me from 315 pre-surgery to 196 at my best. It was amazing, it was like magic. I posted here a lot and my whole story can be found in my profile.
Then I had a series of personal setbacks including but not limited to losing my job, having a child diagnosed with a medical issue, starting my own business and then losing my own business. Along the way I have ballooned up to, as of today, 296 pounds. I'm horrified and ashamed of myself. I worked so hard and was doing so well, and I completely blew it.
I've been feeling that way for a while, and finally decided to do something about it - I met with my original surgeon today and am officially on board for revision surgery. Under my old insurance I had to wait 6 months from my first consultation, under my new insurance it's only 3 months so he said it should be in early November. He doesn't know which type of revision they will need to do, he said they need to do an endoscopy to see if the original sleeve is still in good condition or if it's stretched out (I think he used the term "dilated"). If it's stretched they can re-sleeve. If it's not they would need to do the bypass. I've had GERD for over 10 years and I've heard the bypass cures it so I wouldn't mind.
I know what I need to do because I've done it before. I also know what I need to watch out for because I screwed up before. Part of the pre-surgical requirements is to speak with a psychologist, but I think I'll find one and start going regularly to help me work through a lot of the issues that caused me to be in this position again.
I didn't want to have to re-take this journey but I'm excited to be back on the path to recovery.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 21, 2016 and lost over a hundred pounds in about five months, then a few more, bringing me from 315 pre-surgery to 196 at my best. It was amazing, it was like magic. I posted here a lot and my whole story can be found in my profile.
Then I had a series of personal setbacks including but not limited to losing my job, having a child diagnosed with a medical issue, starting my own business and then losing my own business. Along the way I have ballooned up to, as of today, 296 pounds. I'm horrified and ashamed of myself. I worked so hard and was doing so well, and I completely blew it.
I've been feeling that way for a while, and finally decided to do something about it - I met with my original surgeon today and am officially on board for revision surgery. Under my old insurance I had to wait 6 months from my first consultation, under my new insurance it's only 3 months so he said it should be in early November. He doesn't know which type of revision they will need to do, he said they need to do an endoscopy to see if the original sleeve is still in good condition or if it's stretched out (I think he used the term "dilated"). If it's stretched they can re-sleeve. If it's not they would need to do the bypass. I've had GERD for over 10 years and I've heard the bypass cures it so I wouldn't mind.
I know what I need to do because I've done it before. I also know what I need to watch out for because I screwed up before. Part of the pre-surgical requirements is to speak with a psychologist, but I think I'll find one and start going regularly to help me work through a lot of the issues that caused me to be in this position again.
I didn't want to have to re-take this journey but I'm excited to be back on the path to recovery.

My hospital experience was fantastic. Rather than repost everything I posted a really detailed log of my experience here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/385831-three-days-post-surgery-the-journey-so-far/

My hospital experience was fantastic. Rather than repost everything I posted a really detailed log of my experience here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/385831-three-days-post-surgery-the-journey-so-far/

I'll try to be as detailed as I can to help others about to go through this.
My surgery was scheduled for this past Wednesday 12/21, I was told to go to the hospital at 7:30 AM. My wife had to take the kids to school so my mother brought me. No waiting, immediately they took me into the back to start getting ready, and my mom was able to come. They filled out some forms, put the IV in, gave me a shot of Heparin (blood-thinner) in my stomach (didn't hurt) and told me I'd get an additional shot every 8 hours until I got discharged.
They gave me a few pills and some horrifically nasty stuff to drink (everything I had to drink in the hospital was terrible). Some of the nurses came by to introduce themselves, the anesthesiologist came by to chat. I had been concerned because I had been coming down with a cold but all I had left was a slight cough so it was fine. My doctor came by to let me know I would be going in soon. He had a busy day, at least 6 surgeries! I think I was number 3.
So about 9:45 or so they wheeled me in. My mom was given a tracking number, and there was a monitor in the waiting room where you could find a patient's tracking number, and it would light up green when they were in surgery, and blue when they were in recovery. They said they'd call when I was out of surgery (they didn't).
I went into the room and laid down on a very narrow table and got strapped in. My doctor wasn't in there yet, but they needed to prep me anyway. They put a mask on face and told me to breath deeply, and bam I was out. My next recollection was waking up in recovery with an oxygen mask (they give everyone oxygen via mask for two hours post-surgery) feeling very woozy and nauseous . I told them I was feeling sick and they gave me something that helped. Soon after, they brought my mom and wife back to spend some time with me, but I was really in and out.
Shortly after, they had me stand up and walk around a bit, and then they sat me in a lazy-boy type chair for a while, then I walked around a little more. Walking felt OK, felt some tightness in my stomach around the incisions but it wasn't unbearable. Then they put me in a wheelchair and brought me to my room which I was sharing with another guy who got the same surgery from the same doctor that day (he arrived later).
They put me in the bed and asked me a bunch of questions to get me admitted. After that it was mostly just sleeping as much as I could. Every two hours I had to get up and walk for several minutes. They got all the bariatric patients up together so every two hours it was like the world's worst conga line and we shambled down the hospital hallway. I made sure to go to the bathroom after every single walk so I wouldn't have to get up unnecessarily. They let me have ice chips and thank god for that. I didn't have a sore throat from the surgery although I'd heard some do.
It was a long night, people kept coming in to check blood pressure, give me heparin shots, take blood once I think, maybe twice. The next morning some folks from the hospital came in to give me and my roommate a holiday gift of a poinsettia which was nice but I would have rather kept sleeping.
In the morning they brought me down for a GI check. I had to drink some absolutely foul liquid four times while they took x-rays of my stomach (standing) to check for leaks. No leaks! So I was cleared for Breakfast. Breakfast was some Water, some orange Jello, and some Protein things to drink, they tasted completely disgusting and I couldn't finish them. When they saw I tolerated it well, they brought lunch, which was scrambled eggs, Powerade zero, and more horrible Protein drinks including one marked Prostat that I think I was supposed to drink but it was so awful I couldn't take more than a sip.
I had noticed over the night that was having pains in my back and shoulder, I was told it was gas pains and they would go away, I just needed to keep walking. The surgeon stopped in at some point to check in, told me my surgery lasted just 26 minutes, amazing. He said I did a good job with the liver shrinking diet.
About 2:30 or so I was discharged. I was able to dress myself which was nice. I had an appendectomy and umbilical hernia repair last December, and felt much worse after that, and couldn't dress myself when I left the hospital.
The drive home was uneventful, when I got back I took a little nap, but I got up to walk every hour or so. For the first day or two I noticed some ankle and calf pain when I got up but that went away and today it's almost all gone.
For dinner my wife made me some pureed tuna with low-fat mayo. I ate two ounces and could barely finish it. I drank about 2/3 of a bottle of Protein shake (the Premier Protein, same thing I drank on my two week liver shrinking diet), took me a looong time to drink it. Then drank some water, not that much, I was being very cautious. When I swallowed it felt very weird, like I could feel it settling into my stomach. Didn't hurt, but just weird. I didn't have any real unbearable pain. When I stood up it hurt where my incisions were. If I coughed it hurt a lot but that went away.
Spent that day (thursday) just relaxing and walking and trying to get down some fluids.
Sleeping was uneventful, I took some of the percoset they prescribed and that helped. I slept on my back the entire night which is rare for me. Friday I felt a little better. Ankles still hurt, and my neck was killing me, I assumed it was the gas pain. Breakfast was two scrambled eggs which took over an hour to eat but I finished almost all of them. I finished the Protein Drink and tried some powerade zero which was delicious. Lunch was the rest of the tuna (3.4 oz, ate the whole thing), and dinner was egg salad with low fat mayo, and a little bit or paprika and mustard for taste. I ate 3 oz and it went down pretty quick. At some point during the day I took a shower which was great. No problem at all standing for several minutes.
Sleeping was again uneventful. Today I woke up late, so no breakfast. I had more egg salad for lunch and it went down fairly quickly with no adverse effect. Drank a Protein Shake (11 oz) and 16 oz of powerade zero, no problem at all going down. Before the surgery, the doctor said it should easier and less painful day after day, week after week, and that's been true so far.
I had read about "sleever's remorse" and yes I've felt it too, starting with when I first woke up in the hospital, and it comes back several times a day. I think once I reach the point where there's no pain, and I can eat solid foods again, and get back into my regular routine and see the effects of the surgery it will go away. I know that this was the right thing for me to do, and even though maybe right this second I feel like I wouldn't do it again if given another chance, I'm pretty confident that I'll be happy with my decision in the coming weeks, months, years, etc.
So that's the journey so far. I'l be happy to answer any questions anyone has, and good luck to anyone who is still pending surgery!

I'll try to be as detailed as I can to help others about to go through this.
My surgery was scheduled for this past Wednesday 12/21, I was told to go to the hospital at 7:30 AM. My wife had to take the kids to school so my mother brought me. No waiting, immediately they took me into the back to start getting ready, and my mom was able to come. They filled out some forms, put the IV in, gave me a shot of Heparin (blood-thinner) in my stomach (didn't hurt) and told me I'd get an additional shot every 8 hours until I got discharged.
They gave me a few pills and some horrifically nasty stuff to drink (everything I had to drink in the hospital was terrible). Some of the nurses came by to introduce themselves, the anesthesiologist came by to chat. I had been concerned because I had been coming down with a cold but all I had left was a slight cough so it was fine. My doctor came by to let me know I would be going in soon. He had a busy day, at least 6 surgeries! I think I was number 3.
So about 9:45 or so they wheeled me in. My mom was given a tracking number, and there was a monitor in the waiting room where you could find a patient's tracking number, and it would light up green when they were in surgery, and blue when they were in recovery. They said they'd call when I was out of surgery (they didn't).
I went into the room and laid down on a very narrow table and got strapped in. My doctor wasn't in there yet, but they needed to prep me anyway. They put a mask on face and told me to breath deeply, and bam I was out. My next recollection was waking up in recovery with an oxygen mask (they give everyone oxygen via mask for two hours post-surgery) feeling very woozy and nauseous . I told them I was feeling sick and they gave me something that helped. Soon after, they brought my mom and wife back to spend some time with me, but I was really in and out.
Shortly after, they had me stand up and walk around a bit, and then they sat me in a lazy-boy type chair for a while, then I walked around a little more. Walking felt OK, felt some tightness in my stomach around the incisions but it wasn't unbearable. Then they put me in a wheelchair and brought me to my room which I was sharing with another guy who got the same surgery from the same doctor that day (he arrived later).
They put me in the bed and asked me a bunch of questions to get me admitted. After that it was mostly just sleeping as much as I could. Every two hours I had to get up and walk for several minutes. They got all the bariatric patients up together so every two hours it was like the world's worst conga line and we shambled down the hospital hallway. I made sure to go to the bathroom after every single walk so I wouldn't have to get up unnecessarily. They let me have ice chips and thank god for that. I didn't have a sore throat from the surgery although I'd heard some do.
It was a long night, people kept coming in to check blood pressure, give me heparin shots, take blood once I think, maybe twice. The next morning some folks from the hospital came in to give me and my roommate a holiday gift of a poinsettia which was nice but I would have rather kept sleeping.
In the morning they brought me down for a GI check. I had to drink some absolutely foul liquid four times while they took x-rays of my stomach (standing) to check for leaks. No leaks! So I was cleared for Breakfast. Breakfast was some Water, some orange Jello, and some Protein things to drink, they tasted completely disgusting and I couldn't finish them. When they saw I tolerated it well, they brought lunch, which was scrambled eggs, Powerade zero, and more horrible Protein drinks including one marked Prostat that I think I was supposed to drink but it was so awful I couldn't take more than a sip.
I had noticed over the night that was having pains in my back and shoulder, I was told it was gas pains and they would go away, I just needed to keep walking. The surgeon stopped in at some point to check in, told me my surgery lasted just 26 minutes, amazing. He said I did a good job with the liver shrinking diet.
About 2:30 or so I was discharged. I was able to dress myself which was nice. I had an appendectomy and umbilical hernia repair last December, and felt much worse after that, and couldn't dress myself when I left the hospital.
The drive home was uneventful, when I got back I took a little nap, but I got up to walk every hour or so. For the first day or two I noticed some ankle and calf pain when I got up but that went away and today it's almost all gone.
For dinner my wife made me some pureed tuna with low-fat mayo. I ate two ounces and could barely finish it. I drank about 2/3 of a bottle of Protein shake (the Premier Protein, same thing I drank on my two week liver shrinking diet), took me a looong time to drink it. Then drank some water, not that much, I was being very cautious. When I swallowed it felt very weird, like I could feel it settling into my stomach. Didn't hurt, but just weird. I didn't have any real unbearable pain. When I stood up it hurt where my incisions were. If I coughed it hurt a lot but that went away.
Spent that day (thursday) just relaxing and walking and trying to get down some fluids.
Sleeping was uneventful, I took some of the percoset they prescribed and that helped. I slept on my back the entire night which is rare for me. Friday I felt a little better. Ankles still hurt, and my neck was killing me, I assumed it was the gas pain. Breakfast was two scrambled eggs which took over an hour to eat but I finished almost all of them. I finished the Protein Drink and tried some powerade zero which was delicious. Lunch was the rest of the tuna (3.4 oz, ate the whole thing), and dinner was egg salad with low fat mayo, and a little bit or paprika and mustard for taste. I ate 3 oz and it went down pretty quick. At some point during the day I took a shower which was great. No problem at all standing for several minutes.
Sleeping was again uneventful. Today I woke up late, so no breakfast. I had more egg salad for lunch and it went down fairly quickly with no adverse effect. Drank a Protein Shake (11 oz) and 16 oz of powerade zero, no problem at all going down. Before the surgery, the doctor said it should easier and less painful day after day, week after week, and that's been true so far.
I had read about "sleever's remorse" and yes I've felt it too, starting with when I first woke up in the hospital, and it comes back several times a day. I think once I reach the point where there's no pain, and I can eat solid foods again, and get back into my regular routine and see the effects of the surgery it will go away. I know that this was the right thing for me to do, and even though maybe right this second I feel like I wouldn't do it again if given another chance, I'm pretty confident that I'll be happy with my decision in the coming weeks, months, years, etc.
So that's the journey so far. I'l be happy to answer any questions anyone has, and good luck to anyone who is still pending surgery!

My hospital experience was fantastic. Rather than repost everything I posted a really detailed log of my experience here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/385831-three-days-post-surgery-the-journey-so-far/

If you're looking for a more social experience that mixes up workouts, there are lot of class-style places out there that are supposed to be very good. I've heard good things about Orange Theory and Pure Barre, both have lots of locations and look like they give you a very good workout. It takes the thought process out of it, just go in and do what they say. Someone else mentioned Zumba, I haven't tried it but my wife absolutely loves it.

@@kmorri Any good recipes you can share?
I found what I'm making tonight:
Honey Teriyaki chicken (Pressure Cooker or Crock Pot) A sweet and savory flavor combo perfect for salads or served with rice. Author: Danielle Green Recipe type: Entree Serves: 6-8 servings Ingredients ⅔ c. La Choy Teriyaki sauce 1 Tbsp. honey ¼ c. chicken broth 2 lb chicken breasts Green onions, chopped Instructions Electric Pressure Cooker - Add the Teriyaki sauce and honey to the Instant Pot and whisk until well combined. Add the chicken broth and chicken. Cook thawed chicken on high pressure for 12 minutes. (Cook frozen chicken on high pressure for 20 minutes.) Turn the pressure valve to “Vent” to release all of the pressure. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place on a plate or cutting board. Shred the chicken using two forks. Remove ½ cup of liquid from the pot. (Reserve the liquid for cooking rice.) Return the shredded chicken to pot and stir until well combined. Top chicken with green onions. Crock Pot - Add the chicken breasts to a sprayed or lined Crock Pot. Top with the Teriyaki sauce, honey and chicken broth. Add an additional ½ c. chicken broth. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. With 30 minutes of cooking time left, shred the chicken using two forks. (If using frozen chicken in the Crock Pot, cook on low for 5-6 hours.) Got it from this page: http://www.thecreativebite.com/10-healthy-chicken-recipes-in-a-pressure-cooker-or-crock-pot/

Well one week ago today I was leaving my office and mentally preparing for surgery the next day. Now I'm 6 days post-surgery and feeling pretty good!
Losing about a pound a day, and it's easier to eat and drink every day. I still get some weird feelings while eating every so often, but nothing too bad, and drinking feels totally normal. Walking and moving around is easy and pain-free. Two days in a row I had some blood spots from the large incision on my shirt but I'm pretty sure that's because my daughter went to hug me too fast and headbutted me right in the abdomen - that sucked.
I've been able to eat the following, all homemade and pureed: Egg salad, tuna salad, turkey salad, chicken salad, yoplait light yogurt (boston cream pie flavor, yum), also scrambled eggs with some ricotta mixed in. I went to my sister's for christmas and brought some turkey salad in a container but she had tuna there so I ate that instead, it wasn't pureed but it was mashed enough and I just chewed a lot, and it was fine. I have about 3 - 3.5 oz per serving.
The chicken salad was a bit of a disappointment. I bought some chicken breasts and put them in a crockpot overnight with some low-sodium chicken broth, mixed in some garlic powder, onion powder, and some barbecue sauce just for taste. Cooked for 8 hours, it smelled delicious! Shredded it, cooked another 30 minutes, then in the blender to puree. Tasted a lot like chopped liver - which I like - but not very good chopped liver. Mixed in some low-fat mayo and it's not terrible, just not as delicious as I was hoping Still better than the liquid diet though, I guess.
Doing OK with liquid intake, that isn't really a problem, and my Protein intake has been right on point. Still taking in less than a thousand calories a day but I'm not hungry. That should increase once my portion sizes increase. I'm waiting for the day the MyFitnessPal app doesn't give me a warning at the end of each day that I'm not eating enough!
I'm proud of myself that I haven't cheated ONCE since the whole thing started, going to try to keep that up. My wife made a pumpkin cheesecake for the holidays and it looked unbelievable. Right consistency for me too, but I decided to stick with the post-surgery diet. There will be time for cheesecakes (small portions) in the future when I'm at my goal.
Edit: Don't know if these have been posted elsewhere, but I read two very interesting articles today in the NYT about bariatric surgery, in case anyone is interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/health/what-is-bariatric-surgery.html and http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/health/bariatric-surgery.html